Sandy Pardue, Consultant/Classic Practice Resources
Sandy Pardue, Consultant/Classic Practice Resources
Sandy Pardue of Classic Practice Resources & Dana Pardue discuss issues facing the dental practice owner of today.
Blog By:
Sandy Pardue
Sandy Pardue

AI Receptionists in Dentistry… Where Do You Stand?

AI Receptionists in Dentistry… Where Do You Stand?

4/20/2026 11:47:00 AM   |   Comments: 0   |   Views: 43

Hear the latest Dental Drill Bits episode: 

?? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dental-drills-bits/id1193269670

AI is starting to show up everywhere in practices—especially at the front desk. Answering phones, scheduling, handling overflow, after-hours calls, etc.

On paper, it sounds like a no-brainer:
?? Fewer missed calls
?? More efficiency
?? Less pressure on the team

But after digging into it (and hearing from a lot of practices), I think there’s a bigger conversation that’s not getting enough attention…

What happens to the patient experience?

We all know the phone isn’t just administrative—it’s where:

        
  • First impressions are made
  •     
  • Trust starts to build
  •     
  • Patients decide if they’re coming in or not

And in dentistry especially, patients are often calling with:

        
  • Fear
  •     
  • Confusion
  •     
  • Financial concerns
  •     
  • Urgency

That’s where it gets tricky.

AI can absolutely process requests…
But can it guide, reassure, and connect the way a strong team member can?

That said, I don’t think it’s all or nothing. I’m seeing some practices use it really well for:

        
  • After-hours calls
  •     
  • Overflow when the front is tied up
  •     
  • Basic scheduling for existing patients
  •     
  • Simple FAQs

But not as a full replacement for the front desk.

We actually just did a full episode on this on Dental Drill Bits—breaking down where AI fits, where it doesn’t, and how to think about it from both a patient experience and business standpoint.

?? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dental-drills-bits/id1193269670

Would love to hear from others:

        
  • Are you using an AI receptionist right now?
  •     
  • If so, what’s working… and what’s not?
  •     
  • Have you seen any impact on case acceptance or new patient conversion?

Feels like we’re at the very beginning of this shift, so curious what real-world experiences look like.

You must be logged in to view comments.
Total Blog Activity
997
Total Bloggers
13,451
Total Blog Posts
4,671
Total Podcasts
1,788
Total Videos
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Is your current software cloud-based?
  
The Dentaltown Team, Farran Media Support
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: support@dentaltown.com
©2026 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450